The first annual AERI was hosted on the UCLA campus from July 6-11, 2009. Institute activities included mentoring sessions for both doctoral students, faculty, and teaching staff, methodology workshops, curriculum development seminars, a poster session, research presentations, guest speakers, and field trips. The Institute drew upon local institutional and research expertise and experiences, especially those relating to moving image, sound and other media; ethnic, Indigenous, diasporic and other community-based initiatives; conservation and preservation practices; and digital recordkeeping and curatorship. Incoming and continuing doctoral students, recently graduated doctoral students, and faculty undertaking research and teaching activities from U.S. and non-U.S. institutions attended.